Final Show Bits

This will be the last posting of the show. Can't believe one day's worth of fun took up 3 posts, and I didn't even include all the photos I took. You missed out on a few horses and some wool and decorated eggs. As the sun was setting, we sat down to watch some motor-cross bike tricks. It really took both Cam & I back to MI and the Houghton County Fair.

If you look closely at this one, there are 3 jumpers right in a row, the first one is doing a back-flip, the second has his feet over the handle bars, and the third has just taken off. These guys were pretty good.

One of the most iconic parts of the show is the ferris wheel. I was tempted to ride, but it was about $8 for a 2 minute ride & I thought that pretty expensive. Since Adelaide is pretty flat, you probably could see the ocean from up there.

One of the last things we did before heading home after the long day at the fair was watch part of a polo match. It was a ladies team & I didn't really get how the scoring worked, but one side seemed to be kicking butt. They scored 3x in the 10 min we watched.

Almost all of the show ads include this silly clown. I accidentally made him my background after uploading it to this blog. Enjoy the clowns!

THE Royal Adelaide Show: 2 of one more

I think it rather a presumption to call it "The Show" but I guess it is the largest thing that happens here in Adelaide. This banner says it all, and shows you how it ends each evening. There is a fireworks show that rival's Amherst, OH (he he he).


Cam & I went without a plan, just showed up to the showgrounds and wandered about. We ate when we felt like it, pet a pig here or learned about grains there. When we were a bit tired of walking around so much (we got there around 11 & left about 8 pm) we sat down. We happened to see some folks sitting near all the dogs, so we sat. Turned out, we got to watch a women from England choose the 2011 BEST OF SHOW DOG. I kept thinking about the movie, Best of Show. The black mop-like dog on the left was the winner!


No show-experience would be the same without some sheep herding trials. But with a rainbow?!? That is out of this world. Too bad this particular dog had a hard time getting his sheep to go where they were supposed to go.

I think one of my favorite parts of the show was the cake decorating winners. Check out this cake, complete with a handle. It was good enough to eat, but it probably wouldn't taste very good, sugar frosting crunching between my teeth!

Royal Adelaide Show: I of III

Cam & I had a fantastic day at the Royal Adelaide Show. This agricultural show has been going on since the 1840s. We spent the entire Saturday & had loads of fun. Mostly it was looking at all the animals, some of which I captured on film.


First up were the little piggies. Not just five, but a dozen were taking a snooze in between a feeding frenzy. I love how the one in the middle is eying the camera as if I was going to move into his territory.


We watched horse shoeing on the way to the wood chopping. There were really tall totems next to this line of men, but we didn't see them cut those down. It took merely a few seconds to cut through these logs.


On to the sheep & goat shed. The shed reminded Cam of Tony's new one at the farm, except instead of being full of Websters or machinery, there were sheep. We've seen sheep sheering before (after all, we were at the sheep shoring hall of fame last year) but this was for a competition. The men were quite good, but generally seemed a bit mean to the animals. Sheep really do just go and can get spooked easily. This goat got the prize for "best scratch!"


One of my new pastimes is finding cutouts & snapping photos. This one really does wonders for my neckline. Next two posts will also cover the show throughout the day. Till then.

Michelle's visit Part 3

Michelle had a wonderful trip with us in July. We had such a fantastic weekend, Markets for research and then dinner. We ate in the food court of the market that has every type of meal you can imagine. Its focus is on Asia and let me tell you, it is spectacular. Here's Michelle with a tasty sizzling thing.


If you don't eat too much, you can even have a desert. I have no idea what these are called, but they are like a little sandwich with pudding inside. The dough is almost like waffle batter with a crispy outside, but not as fluffy. They make them in lines, each of a different flavor.


Looking at the same machine, but watching the batter drip into the little circles. They use spoons to dish in the center. You can get chocolate, coconut, corn & cheese, or red bean. I've tried them all but the chocolate is the best.

While Michelle was here, we hiked up a hill just to the south of our house. There really are a million and one hikes around Adelaide & we keep finding new places to explore. Michelle and Cam are surrounded in olives looking towards the city.


As Cam went to work on Monday the 4th, Michelle and I checked out a few other places around Adelaide including the beach. Glenelg is where the first Europeans landed on South Australia's mainland (there was an island off shore that they were hanging out a few days). A storm was brewing at Glenelg and the waves were so high they swallowed up the beach and lapped all the way to the break-wall. Their height looked like it would just wash the jetty/pier away.


Of course, a trip with Michelle would not be complete without more art. I shot this at the Art Museum on North Terrace. It is a different perspective on a metal a birdcage.

Friday Night Markets Part Deux

Our Friday night began with the pub and a brew. We moved to the Markets for food & research. Food, obvious, but research? Yes, Michelle is going to paint us something that reminds us of our Friday nights.


One of the places in Adelaide that helps me think of home is this Polish stall at the Markets. There are packets a aplenty, Polish sausage, even real horseradish. I needed horseradish for Easter and the ham.



Remember how I promised a better photo of Michelle? Here's one of her thinking what fish to purchase for our grill/fish tacos. It was very tasty, especially the taco part.



One of the images that we really used for inspiration was this one. Although we don't regularly shop at Seven Brothers, the food always looks tasty. The best part about this was the angles and the shadows. The final painting will also have people walking through the markets with bright colors of food and signs overhead.



Veg here, veg there, veg everywhere you look. One of the best parts of the market is the seasonality of the veg. You can get anything all year round, but the specials on different fruits and veg really make it clear the season. Cam, Michelle, and I all took turns with the camera throughout the Market. Lets say that I took this one!



Purely by watching, you can see interactions between perfect strangers. They were just giving money for bread, but to capture that transaction, one had to be quick with the shutter. I love the warm tones of the light in this image too.




Of course, there even is a honey store! Eating local honey really helps with the allergies, at least that is what I tell myself. We use lots of honey for our granola, thanks to the recipe from Bode. We have one final posting to go with Michelle's visit. Stay tuned...

Fun Friday Nights Part I

For Cam & I, a typical Friday night includes a pub and the markets. When Michelle (Cam's awesome Cousin from Wollingong, New South Wales) visited us over the Fourth of July weekend, we showed her one of our typical Friday nights & it was AWESOME. This post will be the first of several that cover the markets & Michelle's visit...ENJOY.



The Central markets are located in Adelaide, conveniently on our bus line. They contain fresh food stalls, meat and cheese places, whole grains in bulk, and two food courts. Pretty much if you can imagine it in food, they have it. You just have to be patient enough to find it.



The markets are partially contained in a wonderfully historic building. Made of brick, the markets are located adjacent to Chinatown. In fact, it is difficult to say where one stops and the other begins.



Like I said, they have cheese. One of the stalls is called SAY CHEESE, another SMELLY CHEESE. The Smelly Cheese stall really has the best cheese & we picked up a bit for dinners this week. Mmmmm cheese.




They have meat as I mentioned, lots that hang from the ceiling or within the refrigerators. There even is a smoky place, although not as good as stall B-12 at the West Side Markets in Cleveland.



Einstein makes several appearances in Adelaide, but this one at the Markets is simply the best. He is always on his bicycle, but this is the only image where he is carrying something. I promise to post a better image of Michelle next post!

English Ale Festival: Late July

Cam & I joined a friends from work at the English Ale Festival up in the hills outside of Adelaide. The evening festival began with a parade. People dressed the same danced with sticks or handkerchiefs. Everyone was lead by torches since it was dark.




The culmination of the parade was a giant woman made of paper-mache. You can tell how tall she was, and we were a bit worried because of a little sprinkle. There were about 3 or so large spirits, but this one was the largest and most spectacular.




Most of the evening had a fire theme involved. The procession lead everyone to a large bonfire area. As we waited for the fire to start, there was a man spinning fire around on two chains. It was a dangerous activity, but he was very skilled.




The fire was lit by a flaming man made of string and moved by two people by sticks. It looked much better than this photo, but you can see them walking away from us around the circle. The man on fire burned all the way around the circle of people and then was thrown into the brush to start the bonfire. Merriment abounded with cheering and music. An interesting but fun July night.